The fiascoes of Dieppe and Dunkirk did not really make it clear. The later fiasco of the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942 not only made clear that logistics was paramount, but shoved it directly in Eisenhower's face. Then a Lieutenant General, his operation was supposed to overtake Tunisia within a month, but ended up taking almost six months due to poor logistics and coordination. Logistical challenges in Algeria and Morocco allowed Rommel's Africa Corps to consolidate and build force in Tunisia, leading to drawn out conflict. Interestingly, unexpected resistance from Vichy France also delayed the advance. Not many people know that in the early days of our involvement in the war many of our troops were killed by the French! For those interested, a great introductory read is An Army At Dawn, by Rick Atkinson.
The Americans wanted to start with an invasion of France right in 1942. No messing about. The British had to convince them that it was ridiculous.
Then the Americans got an easy start in North Africa where they could learn from their mistakes and become the juggernaut they are known to be.
An Army At Dawn is a really good book filled with interesting anecdotes. It's perhaps a bit of a tough read because the good guys keep blundering. If you want a curbstomp battle, that's not it.
Yes, it’s certainly one of those books that leaves you both frustrated and awe-inspired. If you like Ambrose’s writing I highly recommend Crazy Horse and Custer.
